1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical treatment device, a medical treatment system, and a medical treatment method to cure/treat body tissues.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is generally known that body tissues can be joined by (1) bringing body tissues to be joined into contact, (2) denaturing proteins of target tissues, and (3) removing fluid present between target tissues. This is bond using a so-called hydrogen bond, which is a linkage using polarity of a polar group of amino acids constituting proteins. Such a description can be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,901.
Note that denaturing proteins denotes inducing a conformational change, which is one of features of proteins, that is, dissociating the linkage of polar groups linked with certain regularity to form the conformational structure of proteins. It becomes possible to promote a new linkage with a polar group present in adjacent proteins by using the polar group freed by dissociating the linkage of polar groups and so a linkage of proteins and accordingly, conjugation of body tissues can be induced.
To induce the phenomenon, various forms of energy such as high frequencies, heat, ultrasonic, and laser light are used by medical treatment devices. By using such forms of energy, the temperature of joining target tissues is raised to denature proteins and to remove fluid (H2O) present between target tissues simultaneously. Conjugation of tissues is thereby achieved. Energy devices currently used as blood vessel sealing devices use this phenomenon.
An effect brought about by removing fluid (H2O) will be described. It is generally known that a water molecule H2O has a strong polarity. Due to the strong polarity, the water molecule is known to be easily linked to a polar group having a polarity. The linkage is also established between water molecules H2O, thereby inducing a phenomenon specific to water molecules H2O. For example, while the heat of vaporization of helium is 0.0845 kJ/mol, the heat of vaporization of the water molecule H2O is a high value of 40.8 kJ/mol (9.74666 kcal/mol). It is a known fact that such a high value is a result of the hydrogen bonding acting between water molecules H2O. As described above, the water molecule H2O is easily linked to a molecule having a polar group due to the strong polarity. That is, the water molecule H2O is also easily linked to proteins having a polar group. This fact makes conjugation of tissues difficult in the presence of water molecules H2O.
The reason that current treatment devices require energy for conjugation of tissues is none other than removal of water molecules H2O. Removing water molecules H2O present between tissues to be joined in conjugation of tissues can be said to be a condition for achieving stable and tight conjugation.
On the other hand, it is self-evident that a large quantity of fluid is present in a living body. In addition to fluid present in each tissue, a large quantity of fluid is also present outside tissues or outside organs such as various digestive juices, lubricants, and physiological saline given for treatment. Depending on the fluid, the linkage of proteins is dissociated and the strength of conjugation between body tissues is weakened over time when viewed macroscopically.